Michigan State Basketball: Kyle Ahrens proves he needs more minutes

Despite losing to Louisville on Tuesday night, Kyle Ahrens proved that he needs to play more minutes for Michigan State basketball.

In his first two seasons with Michigan State, Kyle Ahrens didn’t have much of a role. He was a deep-bench guy on some loaded teams, but didn’t quite have the experience Tom Izzo wanted in a sixth-man type.

That’s why no one knew what to expect from the athletic wing following a foot injury that kept him out the entirety of the 2017-18 season.

Getting his first start of the season against Louisville, filling in for an injured Matt McQuaid, Ahrens didn’t disappoint, showing that he can be much more than just a sixth or seventh option coming off the bench, but he could be a borderline starter with offensive capabilities.

Ahrens was one of the keys to the Spartans’ comeback against Louisville, putting together the best game of his career, scoring 15 points, grabbing three rebounds and swiping one pass in 41 minutes. He didn’t seem overly winded and kept his composure all game long, making big shots when it mattered most.

Izzo doesn’t have much of an option but to play Ahrens more and potentially give him 20-25 minutes per game — he has shown not only that he can handle it, but he deserves it.

The depth on this Michigan State team continues to impress as guys like Xavier Tillman, Marcus Bingham Jr., Aaron Henry, Foster Loyer, Gabe Brown and Ahrens coming off the bench have to strike fear into opponents.

If there was one positive to take from Tuesday night’s overtime loss at Louisville other than the fact Tillman had a nice bounce-back game, it’s that Ahrens has earned more minutes and is a key piece to the Spartans’ Big Ten title puzzle.